The Real Meaning of Christmas

It's funny how the aura and mystique of the Christmas season changes with the age in the eye of the beholder. For some reason, I have not found myself in the "Christmas spirit" this year, with several reasons contributing to this I assume, the most being in a state of flux where and what I will be doing in the near future.

But I digress, seeing those below the age of 8 under the spell of Santa sliding down that chimney and cookies and Christmas break takes you back to a simpler time when that anticipation of gifts and the scare that Santa mysteriously observes every little child and somehow their actions dictates the plethora of boxes underneath their tree. Damn those scare tactics our parents used on us succeptible kids.

This leads me to where I am at now, and it began during the impressionable college years. Those exciting few days when everyone was home on break, and the get-togethers t local bars were some of the best times, sharing similar yet different college stories and enjoying that month of freedom.

Those are the things that I discovered mean more to me now about this time of year than anything else, the real "presents" are the little things that occur in the 4th quarter of the year. As we get older and spread our wings, the reunions collaborate less, which makes seeing a long-time friend even more exciting. Finding out your wonderful friends have just had a health baby girl puts a smile on your face. Announcements of engagements make being around the people that matter to you the most cherish those times. Because selfishly, you want to spend more time with them and revert back to simpler times, but you realize that these wonderful surprises are thier gift to you, and sharing them means that you matter in someones life.

Thats why simpler things like landing an interview with your dream company a few days before Christmas Day, or a strike affecting thousands of families comes to a conclusion, bringing normalcy back to all of their lives. These are the gifts that mean more than a new Playstation 3 or a Tickle Me Elmo.

Finding the joy in the little things maybe took a little while longer this season, but maybe Santa just wanted me to sweat out if I was a good boy or not all year long.